Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

T he ride back to Mount Grove was long and quiet. They left a bound Trapper in the motel room, additionally gagging him with a sock. He was then placed in the bathtub, much to Zitkala's satisfaction. Owen's ‘people' would be by to pick him up. Carlos was specifically not asking questions and Owen was not offering any more information.

Zitkala rode on the back of Ranger's bike with Carlos. She thankfully was not holding him too tightly or intimately. In fact, she was barely touching him. The gas station across the street from the motel had provided a pair of cheap flip flops for her. It wasn't great protection, but at least it was something. She was over eighteen so a helmet was not required by law for her—which was good, because they didn't have one for her. Carlos felt bad enough that she had to ride in a tank top, shorts, and flip flops.

It was nearing two in the morning when they rode into town.

Bulldog, Steel, Ranger, and Ghost were waiting for them on the side of the road just outside of town. Neither Ghost nor Ranger looked happy that they were riding bitch to their President and SAA. If the situation wasn't so grave, Carlos would have taken a picture to commemorate their displeasure.

Owen and Carlos pulled over to the side of the road and walked up to the others.

"Who's she?" his brother asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Took her from Trapper," Carlos answered shortly. "He didn't have Kyle."

"We know. If you'd answer your fucking phone, I could have told you that. Keys found evidence that Trapper was traveling northbound on seventy-nine when Kyle was taken."

Carlos mentally kicked himself again. This was why he couldn't trust the monster. There was no logic when he lost control–only actions driven by poorly managed emotions. "You kept the investigation going here?"

Bulldog nodded once. "Zoe's at my house, by the way. Tessa had to sedate her to get her to calm down enough to sleep."

Carlos flinched, guiltily. "Thank you." As awful as it was to say or think, Carlos couldn't worry about Zoe right now. Not if he wanted to keep his vow to her. He had to trust the others to take care of her in his stead.

Bulldog's sympathetic gaze told him he understood, even if he didn't agree with it. "Everyone who was in the grocery store was cleared. No one can recall seeing anything unusual or suspicious around the time of Kyle's disappearance."

"Well, he didn't teleport away," Carlos snapped.

Steel stepped between the brothers. "There's only one account that differs from the rest. Mrs. Guthrie placed Penny at the grocery store, but no one else could."

Carlos's eyebrows met. "Penny? Yeah, she was there. She basically volunteered me to help Mrs. Guthrie out to her car. It was why I left Zoe and Kyle alone. Why? What does Penny have to do with Kyle?"

"No one else remembers seeing her," Steel said. "When asked, she said she never entered the store because she realized she forgot her wallet."

"She was near the entrance," Carlos countered, "but I couldn't tell you beyond that. Are you suggesting Penny took Kyle?" Penny was a waitress at Tony's Pizzeria . He'd known her his entire life. She had no reason to take Kyle. It made no sense.

"Just trying to figure out what she saw. Besides you and Mrs. Guthrie, no one else was by the front entrance."

"And the back is covered by their only security camera," Carlos added, disgruntled. It wasn't even that good of a camera and only placed there to let employees know when a delivery truck had arrived.

"Can I interrupt here?" Everyone turned to Zitkala. "Is it possible your son is still in the store?"

No one corrected her on Kyle's relationship to Carlos.

Carlos shook his head. "We searched everywhere. Roof, closets, back room, storage areas, office…"

"Kid's four, right?" Zitkala said softly. "Kids know how to hide when they're scared."

"He was with his mom at the grocery store," Bulldog argued gruffly. "What could he possibly have been scared of?"

Zitkala shrugged at Bulldog and turned to Carlos. "I'm an experienced tracker. Care if I take a look? I do owe you for my rescue."

"It's a grocery store," he reiterated. "What could you possibly track?"

"Take me and we'll see."

Everyone was silent as they waited for Carlos's decision. He'd already been on one wild goose chase that day. He couldn't afford to go on another…but he also had no other clues. No one witnessed Kyle's disappearance.

He didn't know anything about Zitkala. He didn't even know why Trapper had kidnapped her or been waterboarding her. But he did know people. Zitkala was staring at him with sympathy and kindness. There was nothing deceptive in her expression or offer.

Slowly, Carlos nodded. "Let's go."

Carlos and Zitkala stood in the vitamin aisle. The flip flops she'd been wearing had been left by the entrance, saying she needed to feel connected to the store. Steel, Bulldog, and Owen were waiting by the front of the store too, per Zitkala's request.

The shopping cart Zoe had been using was still off to the side as he had last seen it. Black forensic dust now covered the push bar.

"Crazy white folks stomping on everything."

Carlos turned at Zitkala's low muttering. "What?"

She just shook her head.

Carlos was about to lose his patience. He was trying his damndest not to allow the monster to overtake him again. Rage and impulsive decisions were not going to help find Kyle.

Since entering the store, which was blocked off by crime scene tape, she'd been muttering to herself. Every few steps she'd squat to look at something or would even sniff the air like a bloodhound. If Carlos had more funding, a tracking dog would be helpful. The closest he had was Aerial, Jumper's service dog. She was a former police dog and had been retired at an early age due to being shot while on the job. Unfortunately, Jumper had recently been injured and was in the hospital following brain surgery. Due to his severe PTSD and current confusion following surgery, Aerial was at his side until he was released.

Zitkala squatted down by the vitamin bottle Zoe had tossed when Carlos had startled her out of her trance. He still didn't have a clear understanding as to what had happened to cause Zoe to space out as she had.

Picking up the bottle, Zitkala stood. She played with it in her hands, rolling it back and forth between them as she carefully walked towards where the cart was. Carlos didn't know what she was looking for or what invisible trail her eyes were following. It was like she could see footprints he could not.

Zitkala placed the vitamin bottle in the seat of the cart where Kyle had been sitting the last time Carlos had seen him. She squatted down again, only this time she went down further into a plank position. In a controlled descent, she laid flat on her belly on the linoleum flooring.

Like most of the buildings in town, the grocery store was old. Hell, it had only gotten HVAC put into it in the last decade or so because it meant having to redo the duct work on the roof of the building. The old furnace in the basement used to be the only source of heat in the winter prior to the construction.

It was likely the original wood floor under the peeling and discolored linoleum that was probably put in close to fifty years ago. All of the shelves and racks were older than most of the residents in town, and like most of Mount Grove's furniture, built by the Amish. Carlos could remember climbing on them as a kid to reach something taller than him and his mom scolding him for treating the store like a jungle gym.

Laying supine and her right cheek pressed to the linoleum, Zitkala closed her eyes and let out a long breath. Carlos had no idea what it was she was doing or hoping to accomplish by lying on the floor. He was starting to think this was a waste of time when Zitkala opened her eyes and smiled.

"Hello, Kyle."

Carlos wasn't sure how to feel in that moment. His first instinct was to think that Zitkala was having some imaginary, spiritual conversation with Kyle, like she'd somehow astral projected herself to his unknown location. His next was disbelief, followed closely by shock and awe.

Then he rushed over to stand by Zitkala's head. He got down on his hands and knees and lowered himself to the floor. The long shelves had a six inch hollow gap under them, separated by stabilizers every three feet or so.

There, lying flat on his belly and squeezed in amongst the dirt and dust bunnies, was Kyle.

Carlos thought his heart might burst the moment their eyes met, his green to Kyle's big brown. "Kyle," he breathed out, not truly believing what he was seeing. "Hey, buddy. We've been looking for you."

Carlos reached under to touch him, but to his dismay, Kyle flinched away from him. Carlos froze with his arm out, not wanting to scare him. He glanced over to see Zitkala had clocked Kyle's reaction.

"Kyle, buddy, can you come out here?" he asked softly.

Kyle didn't move.

Not sure what else to do, Carlos pushed himself up onto his knee and called out, "We got him! He's here! Get Zoe!"

The sudden squeaking of boots on linoleum filled the empty store as the others came running. He heard his brother's voice also demanding to "get Zoe here" and assumed he was on the phone.

Carlos laid himself back down. "Kyle. Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Kyle remained where he was. Carlos was beginning to wonder if Kyle was stuck, jammed in under the small space between the shelf and the floor. But it didn't make sense why Kyle wasn't speaking to him or acknowledging him.

"Where is he?" Carlos heard Owen demand, and because he was looking at the boy and not the others, Carlos saw Kyle's head turn. Like he recognized Owen's voice.

No, not Owen. Conner . Zoe had said Kyle didn't know Owen, but he would know his deceased twin brother.

Carlos looked up in time to see Zitkala scooting away and Owen getting down on his belly. He watched as Kyle's eyes went even wider at the sight of Owen. But, Kyle still didn't move. There was a look that crossed his little face, almost like he was expecting something from Owen.

Heavy footsteps suddenly came around the corner. "Micro-saurus!" Bulldog shouted. "Zoe said to tell him ‘micro-saurus'!"

Both Owen and Carlos turned their heads to look under the shelf, but Kyle must have heard Bulldog's shout. He was starting to scoot himself sideways.

This time, when Carlos reached for him, Kyle did not flinch away. He even stretched his little hand and arm forward to take hold of Carlos's hand. His head barely fit beneath the wooden shelf. Carlos was afraid he was going to hurt himself, but like a cat, the kid squeezed his way through.

Getting up on his knees, Carlos helped Kyle stand. The strong scents of dust and urine clung to him. The boy threw his arms around Carlos's neck, pressing his tiny little face into Carlos's shoulder. He felt Kyle's body trembling as his tears soaked Carlos's shirt.

The overwhelming relief that hit Carlos in that moment was indescribable. He squeezed Kyle to his chest and swore on everything he was and everything he could be that he would never allow this little boy to come to harm again.

The others were talking around them, but Carlos ignored most of it. Owen was blaming crappy investigative work, Bulldog was saying that Bear was on his way with Zoe, Steel was trying to calm Owen down and say that they still didn't have all the facts…

None of it mattered to Carlos.

Kyle was alive, well, and safe. That was all that mattered.

Zoe still felt groggy from the aftereffects of the sedative. She was still pissed at herself for having agreed to take it. She knew that she shouldn't have, but she hadn't been able to get her body to calm enough to function. Now her baby had been found and she felt like every action she made was done at a snail's pace.

Bear's SUV pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store where her nightmare had started the day before. Ten hours. Her son had been missing for going on ten hours when they found him. Anything could have happened.

Her sluggish brain kept blaming herself. Of course , Kyle had been hiding. He had done nothing wrong. She had been the one to teach him to hide and to not come out until she used their code word.

Each time Conner came to visit during their last year on the mountain, he would bring something dinosaur related for Kyle. Books, t-shirts, toys… In one of those books, it described a dinosaur with a twenty-three letter name. It was called a ‘Micropachycephalosaurus', which was a word that Zoe had no idea how to pronounce. For some reason, the fact that this dinosaur had such a long name that she always butchered was hilarious to Kyle. Eventually, Zoe had to call this dinosaur a ‘micro-saurus' because it was the only way she could remember it if the book wasn't open and in front of her.

Knowing it was something that Kyle would never forget and a random person would never know, Zoe had chosen ‘micro-saurus' as their codeword.

Zoe had taught Kyle to hide…and in her panic of discovering Kyle was gone from the shopping cart and cursing herself for panicking over a bottle of vitamins , she'd forgotten. If she'd said "micro-saurus" ten hours ago, Kyle would have come running to her. Because she'd taught him, no matter what he saw, no matter what he thought he heard, he was never to come out of his hiding place unless she—or Conner, who was the only other person she'd ever told the codeword to—said ‘micro-saurus'.

"You can't blame yourself," Bear told her as he parked.

Zoe unbuckled herself. "There's no one else to blame," she said sharply. It took her two tries to get the door handle to open.

She managed to get herself out of the car. Her mind kept telling her to run, but her body would not move that quickly with the sedative still in her system. Bear swore they'd given her a low dose, just enough to take the edge off for her to sleep, but damn she wondered. Was it all in her head or was she actually walking that slowly?

Bulldog met her at the door. He guided her inside with a hand at the small of her back. Bear followed them inside, his medical bag in hand.

The day before, Zoe recalled thinking that the small-town store was small . She'd been impressed it even had a pharmacy section. Now, it seemed like a massive big box store that took her forever to get to the other side.

She rounded the corner of where her nightmare started to see Carlos sitting on the floor with his back up against shelves. Kyle, her beautiful baby, was straddling Carlos's legs while Carlos checked him over for injuries. The adults could tell what Carlos was doing while Kyle giggled and thought it was a game.

Carlos looked up—and their eyes met.

She wondered what he saw in hers. Sorrow, pain, worry, frustration, joy, happiness, relief… Even with her fogged mind, she knew she'd been horrible to him. She vaguely recalled even hitting him. Zoe flinched at that. As the survivor of domestic violence, she never thought she'd strike out at another person unless it was in defense.

His eyes, in turn, were not accusing. Relief was the prime emotion she saw in them. He gave her a small smile, almost as if he was concerned she was going to blame him . The idea had never even crossed her mind.

Seeing Carlos's attention turn, Kyle looked to his left. He smiled big and wide. "Mommy!" Kyle fought to scramble up off Carlos. He ran down the aisle to her.

Zoe went to her knees as she embraced her son. Tears flowed down her cheeks and there was no better feeling in the world than having her little boy safe and whole in her arms again.

Big, strong arms encircled them both. Zoe felt Carlos's lips press into her hair. She couldn't make her arms release her son, but she managed to lift her fingers enough to entwine her two smallest with his.